


It Is Together That We Move Forward

by jacksparrow589



Category: Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Gen, Hugs, I can't help it, Protective Marilla, Shirbert if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-13 19:54:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21003269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jacksparrow589/pseuds/jacksparrow589
Summary: A friendly dinner at the Blythe-LaCroix farm turns somber when the Cuthberts recall Nate and Mr. Dunlop's flight. Anne is particularly troubled, but her friends and family are there for her, just as she is for them.





	It Is Together That We Move Forward

**Author's Note:**

> Content warning: as in the show, Anne has a flashback. It isn't any more graphic than the show gets, though it may be considered emotionally traumatic and therefore upsetting to some readers.
> 
> Set sometime before the beginning of season 3, as Mary is heavily pregnant with Delphine.

The weekend was a cold, rainy one, but the house was filled with light and warmth.

The Cuthberts (including Anne) had brought supper to the Blythe-Lacroix farm, as the heavily pregnant Mary had had a bit of trouble managing in the kitchen lately. The meal was finishing up, and as they were beginning to reminisce on the events a little over a year prior, Anne got up to gather dishes.

She'd stopped and stared in silent awe upon learning that Gilbert and Bash had helped deliver a baby. Marilla looked a little shocked at the impropriety of the conversation, but it was clear that nothing said at the table left it. (Even so, everyone refrained from mentioning the letters the teens had exchanged. There were perhaps some things better left alone for the moment.)

"I have to say, even though I miss the food I grew up with, yours makes me feel at home, Marilla." Bash smiled.

"Gilbert, you must have tried some wonderful things," Anne prompted.

Gilbert nodded and described the things he'd tried, save for one.

"You're forgetting the rum," needled Bash, causing Gilbert to roll his eyes.

"Rum?" Anne looked perplexed and Marilla looked horrified.

Bash laughed. "He wasn't supposed to have any, but he caught me off-guard. He had only a swallow, but that was more than enough, huh?" Bash nudged Gilbert, who had the grace to look a little abashed.

He watched Anne try to hide a smile, only for her to glimpse Matthew doing the same, making her duck her head as she picked up plates.

Marilla pursed her lips, but a bit of merriment played at the corners of her eyes as she and Mary exchanged glances. "Well, I suppose there are some things a person just needs to learn the hard way."

"Meanwhile, we hear you had some excitement going on here," Bash teased. "We never did hear the story behind the gold."

Anne froze on her way to the kitchen. Marilla and Matthew's faces dropped.

"It's... not as exciting as you'd think," Matthew said after a moment. He sighed, then started telling an abbreviated version of the tale. Anne fled to the kitchen and set about cleaning.

"... And they left?"

Marilla sighed. "Not quite peacefully, I'm afraid. They... Anne had just convinced me that they were conmen. But they knew she knew."

Anne fumbled a plate and it knocked against the table. A chair scraped against the floor and a few seconds later, Gilbert was in the kitchen with her, but Anne was miles away.

* * *

_Anne was too frozen in terror to scream. Marilla stepped in front of her._

_"Don't run, Anne," Nate warned her. "It's not a good idea."_

_"How dare you," Marilla hissed. She repeated the same thing, a little louder. "How **dare**_—_" she started backward as Nate raised a hand._

_"Quiet." He motioned his partner forward. "We don't want to hurt you, but we will if we have to. Now sit."_

_Marilla grabbed Anne's hands, but the two conmen separated them. Mr. Dunlop's hand closed around Anne's arm. It wasn't gentle or kind, though he did look the tiniest bit sorry._

_**Please don't**, Anne wanted to plead, but the words wouldn't come out._

_"Don't hurt her," Marilla implored softly. "She's just a girl."_

_"Quiet," Nate instructed before gagging Marilla._

_Anne shook as their captors bound them, and was only barely comforted when Marilla pressed her hand every time the thieves walked past the door while they gathered their things and ransacked the house. As they sat there, her fear slowly shifted to anger, and when it was clear they were alone in the house, desperation. She'd been left alone before; she could handle that, but not knowing about Matthew... or Jerry, she realized with shock. Just because the men hadn't been willing to hurt women (well, Nate had clearly been willing) didn't mean they would feel the same about Matthew or Jerry. She had to find them; had to make sure they were alright..._

* * *

He reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder as gently as possible. Anne flinched. Gilbert had seen many of her moods, but he'd never seen her quite so scared. Softly, he said her name, hoping she would turn around. Anne's tear-streaked face stared silently back at him for a split second before he decided to pull her into a hug, tucking her face against his shoulder and resting his chin against the top of her head.

It wasn't that Anne hadn't felt safe in the time since the robbery. Though the weeks directly following the incident had seen her needlepointing with Marilla all through the nights sometimes when they couldn't sleep, and though she still had the occasional nightmare a year later, she'd still felt safe much of the time. She couldn't put her finger on exactly how Gilbert's embrace felt different. Perhaps it was that he was under no obligation to make her feel safe. They were neighbors and classmates, even comfortable friends now, but this wasn't a secret she would have willingly shared with him. She was shocked Marilla had said anything, and Anne was cursing herself for not realizing how much this had clearly weighed on her in the months since.

“Hey, you're okay...”

Anne realized she'd started sobbing aloud only when Gilbert started trying to soothe her. Thankfully, none of the adults seemed to have noticed, as her sobbing was muffled by Gilbert's shoulder. He was rubbing small circles on her back, and was murmuring soothingly into her ear.

“I was so scared,” she whispered. Gilbert froze for half a second, but pulled back just enough to look her in the eye as she continued. “I was angry, too, but I thought for sure... I didn't know what was going to happen, and I just wish... I wish I hadn't been so foolish!”

“It's not your fault,” Gilbert told her. “You couldn't have known, and as brave and as resourceful as you are, you were going up against conmen.” He pulled her into another hug, almost smiling when her arms wrapped around him in return this time. “I'm just glad you're safe.” Anne was finally starting to calm. Hoping it would make her laugh, he continued, “I need someone to challenge me at school, after all.”

He was right. Anne choked out a laugh before stepping back and using her apron to dab at her eyes. After a moment, she realized Gilbert's hands were still at her elbows.

She wanted to hug him again, but Marilla's voice inside her head was already chiding her for accepting one embrace, let alone two from a young man. Funny, she thought, they were farther apart now, and yet, their position now felt far more intimate. Maybe it was the way he was looking at her. Maybe it was the way she was looking at him, though she was sure her face was blotchy with emotion. Anne realized she hadn't breathed for a moment, and when she took her next one, it was shaky. “I-I-I...”

“Is everything alright?” Mary's voice surprised them.

Gilbert's hands dropped, while Anne hurriedly picked up a plate to work on.

“I'm fine,” Anne said, just a little breathlessly.

“I know it's not an easy memory for you.” Mary waddled over to her and wrapped Anne in a gentle hug. “Things like that... the memory dulls with time, but it never goes away. But we make it through. With each other.”

Poor Anne wasn't going to get through cleaning that plate at this rate, but it didn't matter. Mary was right: being together was what mattered. As she hugged Mary, she caught Gilbert's eye. He was smiling just a bit. He looked relieved, but there was something else there; something she couldn't pinpoint. It was in his eyes more often than not when he was looking at her, though.

She brought her attention back to Mary. “Thank you, Mary.” She gave Mary's shoulders a squeeze and picked up the plate she'd been working on a third time. Mary slowly made her way out of the kitchen, but Gilbert remained.

“I'm not sure whether you're staying because watching me attending to dishes truly interests you, or because you're worried about me,” Anne said, hoping her voice wasn't carrying out to the dining room. “I'm fine... But thank you.”

She caught Gilbert's eye as he smiled and went out to gather more dishes to bring back to her. It was clearly an excuse to be around her, and while she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that, she could admit she was grateful at least for his presence. It was calming, at least up until his hand brushed hers on accident when she was handing him a plate to dry. Both drew their hands back as though burnt, Gilbert only just avoiding dropping the plate, and after half a second's stare, they both looked away.

Anne was again having trouble articulating to herself how that was any different from the embraces they'd shared not five minutes before, and settled on her hands being cold from washing. That must be it. For the remainder of the washing up, she was careful to hand the plates to Gilbert in a way that ensured their hands wouldn't touch, and when they went back into the dining room, she hurried from the kitchen before they could be caught in the doorway together. She was aware Gilbert was shooting her curious looks all the while, but examining one uncomfortable moment was enough for the night.

* * *

They were all quiet on the way back to Green Gables. Anne was sandwiched between Matthew and Marilla, and was grateful for the feeling it gave her.

Still, when Anne found herself unable to sleep, she took her needlepoint down to the sitting room, where she found Matthew and Marilla. No words were exchanged, but they all felt a bit more at peace as soon as Anne sat down.

As she worked, Anne's thoughts drifted to the previous hours, and she remembered how warm and safe she'd felt. Only when she pricked herself a third time with her needle did she realize she was distracted, but also tired enough to sleep. Marilla had nodded off, herself, and Matthew was dozing. Anne pulled her blanket to her chin as she curled up and drifted, a small smile on her face.


End file.
